New York City
by Challenge-me
Summary: a rare charecter story. Ernie and Hannah. Why Ernie has to leave New York, though he loves Hannah more then anything. slight bit of non-con.


Challenge- find someone who would give anything to stay in New York, but they eventually had to leave.

Challenge completed- Ernie MacMillian, for Hannah Abbott.

Hannah Abbott cried, and held Ernie in her arms. "Are you sure you have to go?"

"Yes." he said, holding his tears back.

"Is there anything I can say, to make you change your mind?"

"I have to go. I love you, but I have to go."

He walked out of the university, and rode the 6 train uptown to his small apartment. He remembered once, in a work's-out-it's-Friday-let's-party rush, he and her had stood, hanging onto a railing, and making out, and no one had noticed. They could barely wait until they got to his flat, or apartment as the Americans called it, before stripping and making love.

But that wasn't going to happen anymore. Nor would the walks around Soho, or Washington Square. Nor the making out in Central Park in the dark. Most people were scared to do so, but they were both Wizards, and they could hex any danger long enough to get away.

He wondered if she loved him, or if she loved him in New York. He loved Hannah, he would have married her, but she had seemed to think it was less of a relationship then he thought it was. When she had been excepted to the New York Magic University, and he told her he was following her, she had been stunned. Sure she had asked him to stay, but when he said he was leaving, she didn't say she'd leave with him. She didn't even say that long distance relationships were fine too, and after she was done at university, she would come back to him. She had no idea of the things he had done to try to make enough money to stay with her.

It had all started at the end of their seventh year at Hogwarts.

Ernie was sitting in the Hufflepuff common room, and Hannah had run in screeching something. All the Hufflepuffs looked at her, but no one could understand what she was saying. She ran to Ernie, and pepper him with kisses, still screeching.

"What? What is it?"

"I just got back from the owlery, and eeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!"

"What! What did you get?"

"A letter from the New York University of Magic."

"Never heard of them. who are they?"

"It's a place in America, and it's one of three University's of Magic in the world. They want me to come!"

Not that Ernie thought Hannah was lying, but everyone in the room knew Hufflepuff's weren't known for their brilliance. They had other good qualities, but not high i.q's. "Are you sure?"

"Yes, of course I'm sure, do you think I would lie about something like this?"

Ernie left that unanswered.

"It says they accept a Ravenclaw once every two or three years, either a Slytherin or a Gryffindor once every five or six years, and the last Hufflepuff was way back in 1942. It says they choose to offer me a spot, on the basis of my ideas of subtle ways of magical ways to improve muggle life, without letting them understand magic. Guess that Muggle Studies class really came in handy, huh?"

Anna, a 6th year, came over. "Just imagine what she'll do when Hermione Granger finds out you were accepted to a prestigious collage, and she wasn't. She'll absolutely die!"

And it was like it was settled. Hannah never came to talk to Ernie about what would happen with their relationship if she left, she just treated him like normal. He, on the other hand, couldn't keep his mind on anything but their relationship. He loved her, and he knew it was Love, not just a girlfriend. He could see himself getting older, and having kids, and grandkids, and giving them that candy from Honeydukes that made them hover, and chasing them around the house, and having them call him grampie, and her grannie. How could she not feel the same way?

They graduated, Hermione winning all the top marks awards, except for Herbology, in which Neville won. Draco won for Potions, but that was to be expected, he was Snape's pet. However, he only got one mark below Hermione in Arithmacy, so maybe he wasn't a teacher's pet idiot after all, or at least not fully.

Then she had gone to New York, and he decided he had to follow her. If she wasn't going to take the initiative to keep them together, he would. She made him promise they would always be together, and he said of course.

But he hadn't expected everything to be so damned expensive. Hannah got to live in the University dorms, but Ernie couldn't, so he had to rent an apartment. He had to make food, or go to a fast food place, and either option was bad. He had to buy clothes, and bus transportation, because he had never been very good at apperating.

He quickly got a job, he was a writer for a muggle magazine. It didn't pay much, but it was something. Then, one day, his boss asked him if he would model for an ad. He agreed, he was getting paid for it, why wouldn't he? Besides, he had dreams of fame, maybe he would get his face on billboards, or television. It would be wonderful.

But it didn't quite work like that. When he went to pick up his cheque, the woman wouldn't let him have it. She asked him for a kiss for it. He refused, so she refused to give him the money. Finally, he consented. It was only a kiss, and he really needed the money. And it wasn't like he was cheating on Hannah, he was doing this so he could STAY with Hannah.

She kissed him, a wet disgusting kiss that he wanted to be no part of. She groped him, and he tried to wriggle out of her grasp. Then she gave him the cheque, and told him, "If your sexy wild beast body ever wants to see me again, I'm always available." he tried not to shudder, and he said he could consider it.

Of course, he was never going to consider it. He went straight to Hannah's dorm, and waited until she was done class. She had started to tell him about a new type of Chirpurfle repellent that was being marketed as a muggle computer spray, so they wouldn't infest and ruin the electronics. Right in the middle of her explanation of what ingredients were in the potion, he kissed her hard on the mouth. they started to get heavier, and his last rational thought was he was going further with Hannah, and indeed he had gone further dozens of times then he had gone with his boss, so he was wiping her out.

He went to work the next day, and completely avoided her. He did this for the next few weeks, but then he lost his wallet. It had the rent money, which was due that night, it had his grocery money, and it had his bus tickets. He needed money, he needed it desperately. And he only knew of one way to get it.

So he did it. He did it for Hannah, but he did it. And she had been rich, she had given him more then he had expected, and he was able to take Hannah out for a romantic dinner. she commented on how long it had been, and how much she loved it, so he kept doing it.

Maybe it was wrong, but he did it for love.

But, as it turned out, Hannah didn't love him back. She never said she didn't, she never cheated on him, but she never loved him. At least not the way Ernie loved her.

So, he stopped going to his boss, and he let his funds drift down to zero. He went to talk to Hannah, and explained that he had to leave. He couldn't afford, not literally, and not morally, though he didn't tell her that, to stay, and with the University needing her, she couldn't afford to leave.

He loved her, and he wished he could have told her that, could have told her that he wanted to be with her forever, could have told her that he had sacrificed his dignity for her, and would have kept doing so for the rest of his life. But he had always been bad at goodbyes.

New York City

Was it Washington Square   
Or the way you wore you hair?   
Was it central park   
Or kissing after dark?   
Guess I'll never know   
Not sure I even care   
But my heart will always live   
With you and me there   
  
But I can't afford to live in N.Y.C.   
Ahahahah   
And she can't afford to leave   
hahah

I can't afford to live in N.Y.C.   
Ahahahah   
And she can't afford to leave

but god i miss her

Was it the Sea Port in June   
Or your face by the moon?   
Was it Soho's charm   
Or you and I arm in arm?   
Was it the 6 train uptown   
Or true love that I found?   
It all blends into one   
When I think of you now   
  
But I can't afford to live in N.Y.C.   
Ahahahah   
And she can't afford to leave   
Ahahah   
But I can't afford to live in N.Y.C.   
Ahahahah   
And she can't afford to leaveWell I know that a promise is to keep   
But money's tight and I've been losing sleep   
Old Man Circumstance will have his way   
It's true   
But what I wouldn't give to stay here with you   
  
And I can't afford to live in N.Y.C.   
Ahahahah   
And she can't afford to leave   
Ahahah   
And I can't afford to live in N.Y.C.   
Ahahahah   
And she can't afford to leaveAnd I've never been good with good-byes   
But good-byes are all I have

and i cant afford to live in new york city

and im pulling outta here

is there anything i can say

to make you change your mind


End file.
